Timeless Tunes

According to Bhagwat,it is her way of connecting to the poets of the past just as she has done with her compositions around songs of the Sufi-saint Kabir and Meerabai,the mystic poet. “The messages in his works are universal and relevant even today,like emancipation of women,and the love of nature and the environment,” says Bhagwat,who has been performing such songs for the last two years.

Musicians such as Bhagwat prove that experimentation around Rabindra Sangeet isn’t confined to language and region. Performers of classical music have time and again adapted Tagore songs in their styles,tapping into its deep Indian classical roots. While Shubha Mudgal sang a rustic rendition of the meditative Tumi Robe Nirobe,Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’s sublime sarod strokes have played the melodies of Rabindra Sangeet too. Others such as singers Rashid Khan and Yesudas,and flautist Ronu Mazumdar have also performed them on classical stages. “Many of his songs have a wide range of influences of Indian musical traditions — from Hindustani classical to Carnatic bhajans,folk songs and kirtans,” says Sen,who will perform along with Bhagwat at the event in NGMA.

Apart from Indian influences,Tagore imbibed from Western traditions such as Scottish and Irish folk songs,Western classical and Oriental music. This helps to draw a modern vibe from a Rabindra Sangeet that seamlessly connects with western genres such as jazz and RnB.

Its versatility is perhaps most reflected in its success in Bollywood. Classic Hindi film songs such as Tere mere milan ki yeh raina and Chhoo kar mere mann ko were based on melodies of two Tagore songs. “At the core of Rabindra Sangeet is its hummable melody. They are friendly to approach,and are easily accessible to anyone,” explains Grammy Award-winning percussionist Bikram Ghosh. He had produced an album called Tagore Lounge that set the Nobel Laureate’s tunes to an adventurous fusion soundscape. It was released in 2011.

A significant event in the history of Rabindra Sangeet was the expiry of its copyright held by Visva Bharati,the university in Santiniketan found by Tagore. This took it out of the conservative custody and let it open for experimentation. The freewheeling creativity gave way to contemporary interpretations,as in Parineeta’s Soona mann ka aangan,where the hookline gave birth to an original Hindi composition. Or Ekla cholo re from last year’s Kahaani,which set the song to a lounge-driven soundscape. “You can’t categorise it,it is just like a beautiful folk melody that speaks in the universal language of music. Plus,the phonetics of Bengali are very sweet,” says Shekhar,of Vishal-Shekhar,who re-interpreted the song for Kahaani.

In the recent Bombay Talkies,an instrumental version of Tagore’s Tobu mone rekho appears towards the end of Dibakar Banerjee’s segment.

The poetic profundity and the messages of Tagore’s songs are so universal and all-pervasive that they never lose the relevance. “Moreover,he is an international figure who also wrote our national song. He has unmatched brand value that takes him far beyond regional barriers,” says Ghosh.